My Life (1922)

I just spent Friday and Saturday rereading Emma's book "My Life" 1922. It never ceases to amaze me when rereading some book or article all the information I have missed initially. I have to admit I enjoyed it much more this time around. I remember feeling for her a bit the first time I read her autobiography. Her writing skills left a lot to be desired as far as I was concerned.  This time round I was less harsh and much more aware of the reality of her skills. To find the time to even write the book should be enough to impress, and I must admit, having tried my hand at writing this past summer, I have acquired an empathy and a deep respect for anyone who attempts to put pen to paper. It is not easy! 

I am putting a timeline together to be able to decipher when Emma was in many of the places she speaks about. I am interested in her year long recovery from a terrible incident in her life and also the week she spent in Italy waiting for a letter to arrive that contained information that could end hope in an area of her private life. Emma stays away from anything that may allude to her personal life, she never mentions Jules Bois, even when she speaks about the trip with Swami Vivikananda to Turkey and Egypt, where Jules is known to have travelled with them. Emma does give enough information, I hope, to be able to piece together some idea of her personal life. I am confused by her not acknowledging knowing the Czar and Czarina of Russia. She doesn't even admit to meeting them. She says she had been summoned to the palace to sing but was placed behind a screen separating herself from her audience. I have to believe that she may not have known them. She does not have a problem telling us about her relationships with other famous or Royal people, why would this one not be added if she had known them on a more personal level. Also....... something very interesting is she admits in the book that her spiritual life was the most important aspect of her life, but she never offers any  idea of  the foundation of her spiritual beliefs. There is a reference to her putting a crucifix in the hand of a deceased operatic friend when he passed away on stage during a performance,and  there is a cross over one of the beds in the Chateau de Cabrieres ( her home). She also lets us know she considered Vivekananda a spiritual advisor, one of two great souls that she had encountered. She leaves us wondering who may have been the other.( she does say one or two)

All in all this woman is a powerhouse. Raising $100,000 at a fundraiser in New York to help in the war and she has also been given credit for helping to convince the US to enter the war to help free France.